Areti Georgiadi

Doctoral student – Center for Medical Biotechnology (VIB)
- Lab of Translational Onco-genomics and Bio-informatics (TOBI)
- Gevaert lab
Principal investigators: prof. Katleen De Preter (PhD) & prof. Kris Gevaert (PhD)
Research focus
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) compose a heterogeneous group of membrane-bound nano vesicles, filled with bioactive material (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and metabolites). These vesicles are secreted from all cells, playing a crucial role in intercellular communication and homeostasis, hence participating in processes such as metabolism, growth and development in proximally, or distally, located target cells. Since EVs are able to circulate within the bloodstream, their isolation can be performed in minimally invasive ways, e.g. with a single blood draw - what we call a liquid biopsy. EVs are particularly interesting as they provide us with a multi-omics snapshot of the parental cell, by analysing the different EV components. This can be of particular interest in the context of disease and especially in cancer, as tumour derived EVs are known to be involved in cancer progression and metastasis.
We hypothesise that by integrating the EV omics information, along with other information retrieved from liquid biopsies (such as cell-free (cf) DNA), we will be able to identify biomarkers for early disease detection and/or patient stratification based on tumour subtype.
I am currently working on establishing a protocol to isolate both EV DNA and protein content, as well as cfDNA from a single sample, aiming to maximise efficiency in sample processing and information retrieved, while minimising cost and diagnostic delay.
Contact & links
- Lab address: De Preter lab, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, UGent-VIB Research Building, FSVMII, Technologiepark 75, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
- Gevaert lab
- TOBI lab
- Areti Georgiadi is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks